"Coles Crossing"

Guest post by Frederick Manfred Simon.

 December 23, 2017

02:56 crew change at Cole’s Crossing (homestead in the background) somewhere along US 2 between night and a barely dozen-degree morning. In the 45 cab, Eastern Washington Gateway Engineer “Jay” Pospisil (aka Popsicle) and Conductor Scott Rohrig have just been briefed by and relieved the previous crew to continue the train’s trek west on the venerable “CW.” Some 2100 feet into the icy, countlessly pinholed-black, flashing-red Fred dutifully comms control-stand-perched Mary he’s good-to-go and Jay releases the binders throttle in opposite hand opens it to give his horses the gitty up. Just above the headlight I spot Orion’s belt and I pause to consider how much tonnage this inimitable ’69 LaGrange mare has hauled about murica while she proudly wore Espee’s iconic scarlet and grey dress, and how many tons she helped shove black and blue over Mullan Pass while stabled, fed and ploughing for Montana Rail Link? Here on the EWG, she still earns her keep: daily, for the foreseeable future. Rolling, and that unmistakable squeaking of flexing flexicoil trucks and EMD turbo whine fade and vanish into the arctic darkness, my timeless image securely frozen in time. 

"Chasing the Bear”

Guest post by Frederick Manfred Simon.

November 27, 2017

Ursa Major (The Great She-Bear), better known as the “Big Dipper,” sprawls across the pure early evening Northern Hemisphere as Eastern Washington Gateway Railroad SD45-2 328 seems to be chasing it through the darkness with its searching headlight near Cemetery Road just west of sleepy, like Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night” hamlet, Davenport. 

"Almira, 03:30"

Guest post by Frederick Manfred Simon.

 June 8, 2018

Turning another silent into a violent night. A methodical violence that is: disturbing the dead and the dead-asleep alike. Hootin’, rootin’ and a tootin’ – Cowboys and their metal mares – as if nightmarish apparitions ridin’ into some souled high plains town on steel horses to wrangle then, just as quickly as they appear, steal away with the community’s bounty like booty. No, not like that nefarious ’69 cinematic Wild Bunch, but professionals. A Band of Brothers. Eastern Washington Gateway Railroaders. Die-hards. In fact. Present day grunts armed with orders to take; comms to coordinate the taking; the skill to execute the taking near effortlessly; the precision to take as efficiently as possible. Boots-on-the-ground, got each other's six operators operating on the cusp of railroading past. High above, the recently retired CWGG wheat laurels logo still and still will herald the arrival and departure of this timeless cacophony as it will the corrugated crib elevator with its bearing friction 40’ cars box platform permanently chained, rusted in the upright position. A scene, but for the crew van, anachronistic: may as well be unfolding in 1968 instead of a half-century later. Whatever century it may be, or what wristed analog standard railroad time, or obstacle, the objective is accomplished. Always. 

Snowy Deep Creek View

Photo by Gary Durr.

March 2017

One sunny snowy day on the Eastern Washington Gateway RR... When I was not Working....,EWG Engineer, Bruce Butler eases the second half of a loaded train through Deep creek canyon with a single Former MRL SD45 pulling loads that were left at Hite...We had to reduce tonnage as we only had two units and they had to double the hill both down and up deep creek, as there were too many loads for the two SD45's to handle up deep creek and with no working dynamic breaks at this time, and lots of Ice build up on the rails, wheels and breaks of the cars, to many to handle safely on the long down hill also.

"328"

Guest post by Frederick Manfred Simon.

January 9, 2018

“Force Majeure”

Guest post by Fred Simon.

December 30, 2016

Hartline, Washington: before breakfast-o’clock in the midst of temperatures tumbling into inhumane depths; when one can scarcely feel his digits ditch lights reach into the darkness and find Conductor Gary Durr wading through drifted and drifting snow to hold a job briefing with Dave Reagan, his Engineer, where Durr will briefly escape the inclemency in the relative warmth of the cab as they assess the situation and plan their next few moves. Railroaders have been at war with the elements for generations, hence there is nothing extraordinary about this scene. Yet, it is a glimpse into one such campaign in that perpetual conflict between man; his machines; his – a la Nietzsche – indomitable Will to Power and what is Force Majeure. To-wit: the crew confronts myriad complications: frozen switch locks; compacted, snowed-in switches and “throwing” them means throwing your back – all your living and dead might – into bending frozen steel to one’s will; bad, if not non-existent footing; air hoses and the air that passes through them frozen, unbendable and impassable; not to mention the overarching mental and physical fatigue all while ensuring that each move is orchestrated according to a detailed, sequential plan: switches lined, handbrakes set, derails dropped, cars properly spotted, working in between unaired cars and 200-plus-ton locomotives. These men; this Band of Brothers, they have each other’s six every-single-step of the way for any lapse or deviation from said maneuver or miscommunication is consequential. The demand for unflagging concentration is nothing short of supreme as the wind mercilessly knifes its icy blades into any exposed skin and through as many layers of clothing, and any romantic notion of railroading leaves you as quickly as the boreal vacuum sucks the warmth from your body. 

 

 

A Trip To The EWG

Guest post by Dan Pipkin.

This wasn't my first official chase of the EWG but it's the first time I've managed to bring back photos. Taken the last day of 2017 at Almira with the crew getting the train ready to head out West a little after 9 AM on a frigid December morning.

Underway to Hanson with 5 cars to be loaded at the elevator.

One of my favorite shots from the trip; after dropping off a few cars at Hanson the EWG makes it way towards Cement while running light power, in the distance is the little town of Hartline.

EWG running light power through Hartline headed towards Cement for more work to be done. 

Coasting downgrade from Odair, the EWG is nearly at the end of the line at Coulee City.

Now changing cabs to 9129 with a new nose job, the crew begins shuffling cars around the Coulee City grain facility.

Another shot of the EWG working Coulee City on a beautiful, chilly December afternoon.

With the work being finished at Coulee City, the EWG heads back East towards Odair for some more shuffling of rail cars.

One of the best shots of the day was also the last wrapping up a nice little chase. The EWG was headed through Odair with some more work to do once again, with only an hour or so left of daylight.

Rounding The Curve At Deep Creek

Photo by Gary Durr.

June 2018

Gary says:

"One of the great things about working for a shortline railroad... knowing when the trains run...

Here is the Eastern Washington Gateway Railroad train HM06=(Hiline Empties on the 6th day of the month)...with 2 former MRL SD45's and a former SSW SD40T-2 Pulling hard on the 1 Percent grade climbing out of Deep creek up to the High plains of North Central Washington, Photographed Rounding the big curve near Espanola as it crosses under Washington State HWY 2. Train is West bound to Hite with a final destination this day of Coulee City."

EWG Grinding At Deep Creek

Photo by Gary Durr.

June 13, 2018

Gary says:

"A beautiful day and rare Eastbound Daylight run up Deep creek got this train master out of the office this day to witness the scene... Engineer Bruce Butler, in Charge of 2 SD45's(328 & 329) and an SD40T-2(8702), has the train of 64 loaded hoppers well in hand as he has just topped the 1 percent grade and made it through Killer Curve. This location is Thorp RD just West of MP14, where the old GN(BNSF) Columbia River Sub crosses over the Former NP CW main...he has just throttled down to notch 6 from 8 and is enjoying his run to Hiline Grain at Four Lakes...The sound of the 20 cylinder EMD's howling up Deep creek grade out in the open fresh country side is worth experiencing. in this day of modern GE loco's, it is a treat to hear these old GROUND POUNDERS doing what GOD and EMD designed them for... PULLING."

EWG Snowplow At Hartline

Photo by Ted Curphey.

"The EWG could have used a snow plow in the opening days of 2017!"

WRIX 8702 At Four Lakes

Guest post by Bruce Butler.

Here is the power for today's train. SD40-T2 WRIX 8702, SD45-2 EWLX 329, and SD45-2 NIWX 328. 8702 was not running this day as the two SD45-2's provided adequate power (3200 hp each for 6400 total) to move this train.

“Creston Crew Change”

Guest post by Frederick Manfred Simon.

August 3, 2018

On a comfortable August night, the inbound and outbound crew having conferred, the all-but-two loads 57-car eastbound train HL03 is now the HL03-2 as it changes hands in Creston, technically the highest point on the CW. Hence the eponym. Having relieved engineer Zach Hastings, engineer Ted Curphey will continue the trek and make short shrift of bringing the HL03-2 into Highline grain with the triga of two second-gen SD45’s and a SD40T-2.

NIWX 328 On The WER

Guest post by Frederick Manfred Simon.

February 19, 2020


It was a long day, but I got to play with the NIWX 328, a former MRL/SP SD45 rebuilt to a Dash-2. What a beast and what a blast and she still runs and feels like a Cadillac.

"Eye of the Tiger"

Guest post by Frederick Manfred Simon.

April 26, 2017

 

A Hyatt journal box of Eastern Washington Gateway (NIWX) SD45 328 as "seen" through a knothole in the abandoned Coulee City Potlatch Yards coal shed.

A composite of two exposures of the same image. Not done this before, but wanted to bring the best of both into one image: the texture of the wood and, as you noted, depth of field.

EWG Coulee City Derailments

June 14 and 20, 2018.

First one shows a car that derailed at the very end of the track at Coulee City. The other is of the 328 and a hopper on the north track next to the old Potlatch Yards building.

 

June 14

June 20.

EWG At Odair And Coulee City

May 10, 2018

EWG Power At Coulee City

April 17, 2018